A Gentle Nudge: Time To Write & Post An Update

I posted this also on my WorldRider site, so if you’re reading both blogs, just a heads up! I thought I’d keep readers who’ve been Digital Tavern fans and not necessarily the motorcyele adventure fans an update too. Because like my WorldRider site, I’ve been negligent in writing new content here on the Digital Tavern. I aim to get back to more regular writing once my new project (see below) comes to fruition. Thanks for your understanding.

What’s it take to get a new post on the WorldRider blog website? While my local friends nudge me often, today I received a warm note and email from Rwanda. I met J. Marie while traveling through Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. He helped me sort out the paperwork and details required to visit the legendary Mountain Gorillas that make home in the northern jungles around the volcanos.

He expressed concern that not only had it been awhile since I posted, but that the WorldRider “Tracker” in the right sidebar was out of date. So thanks to J. Marie, I feel it’s time to a quick update and fix the tracker.

As many of your know, for the past three years I’ve been working on a new book. It’s been a project of passion and commitment. For two years I tried to convince traditional literary agents and publishers to take a chance on my book — which is a unique hybrid of a travel adventure memoir, photo book and cookbook. While many of these traditional publishing professionals responded well to my story, most tried to persuade me to abandon the complicated color “coffee table” style book I envisioned and stick to a more traditional book — black and white text with a color cover.

I didn’t want to compromise my vision and dream for a more interactive book that would better capture and share my experience traveling around the world. So I’ve decided to publish it myself.

I happy to say that the book is nearly ready thanks to the help and support of so many. You know who you are and I’m grateful and appreciate each of you, thank you.

Sometime later this month I will launch a Kickstarter campaign to pre-sell copies of the book and to raise funds for printing, publicity and a book tour. If you are unfamiliar with Kickstarter, take a quick look at the site. It’s a crowdfunding website for creative projects.

The tricky part of Kickstarter is setting a goal for funding. That is, I will set a goal of minimum amount of funds that I must raise for my book. People will pledge and have an opportunity to pre-order copies of the book, prints, postcards and other “rewards,” non unlike a PBS fundraising campaign. Except with Kickstarter, if I don’t receive enough “pledges” to meet my funding goal, I will not receive any of the funds/pledges. I must meet my goal or the Kickstarter funding campaign fails.

It will be important for me to get the word out to as many people as possible so I can increase the chance of meeting my funding goal. That’s where I hope you can help: spread the word through email, Facebook, Twitter and other social media. I’ve got the page set up, will shoot the video next week and go live the week after. I hope. If you want to look at the private preview page for the campaign, shoot me an email and I’ll send a link so you can learn more about the book and the campaign.

There will be a launch party, I hope on both the East and West Coasts, and this will be part of my campaign rewards.

I will share more information here and on my other websites as we get close to launching the campaign. I hope I can count on your support as we launch the book.

Once this book hits the “shelves” then maybe I can get away from the computer and back on my bike, which has been collecting more dust than miles these days!